Capacitors have long been a standard element in
Terragen
technology. They are used in vehicles and motile
bots,
in temporary or isolated dwellings, as a primary personal power source
for
vecs,
and wherever else electrical power is required but a permanent
connection to a power transmission line is impractical. Capacitors also
have several useful applications within electronic and
electrical circuitry apart from simple storage of electrical power.
The technology of typical modern capacitors (sometimes known as
hypercapacitors) dates back to the first century
AT.
At that time, advanced materials allowed unprecedented energy densities
per unit area, and early
nanotechnologies
allowed the fine scale structures that permitted great increases in
unit area per volume and fine control over rates of energy release.
Expert onboard systems governed the charge and discharge of the units,
as well
as some limited self-repair and maintenance. By the early second
century the
designs that are still used today throughout the Terragen sphere had
become
ubiquitous.
Capacitors have several advantages as power
storage devices. While some chemical fuels can be more potent in a
suitable atmosphere, capacitors deliver their energy regardless of the
environment, produce
relatively little heat in their operation, and do not emit a chemical
exhaust. Fusion or fission power plants last longer, but are require
specialized
fuel, are not available in small sizes, and may pose a radiation
hazard.
Chemical batteries of comparable energy density often require rare
elements.
Typical modern capacitors have energy
densities by weight of about 25 MJ/kg, and by volume of about 50 MJ/L.
They can be rapidly charged from a variety of electrical power systems,
and can
be induced to release their energy as electrical current at whatever
rate
is desired. They are resistant to physical impacts and chemical or
nanotech destruction, and operate over a wide range of temperatures.
They have
low-grade sentient-level intelligence that allows them to adapt to a
variety of
power charge and discharge systems, respond to a variety of user
commands,
carry out basic self-repair, and signal for help when they encounter
problems
they cannot solve. Those designed to operate under standard Terragen
conditions
typically have a
corundumoid
casing that resists most chemical and physical hazards
they are likely to encounter.
Most nanofacs carry the programming to
produce a standard capacitor. Many
mechosystems
are seeded with autonomous
plantbots
that produce capacitors in various sizes
using local materials
and energy sources.
